Curatorial Assistant

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A full-time Curatorial Assistant position, reporting to the Museum’s Senior Deputy Director and Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator, is available. The incumbent will assist the Chief Curator with his scholarly projects as well as a variety of project-related administrative tasks. They will work closely with the Administrative Assistant who manages the day-to-day of the office. Excellent research and writing skills are essential, as well as a deep knowledge of 20th- and 21st-century art history.

Responsibilities include: Scholarly research on artists and acquisitions; preparation and writing of didactic texts; assistance in the planning and installation of exhibitions, including management of checklists, schedules, loans, and databases; serving as liaison with the Chief Curator’s internal and external contacts, including artists, trustees, donors, scholars, and museum departments such as Conservation, Exhibitions and Collections Management, Publications, and Research Resources; drafting correspondence; preparation of presentations and organization of meetings, including those related to the Museum’s Painting and Sculpture Acquisition Committee and the Curatorial Committee; general project-related tasks such as travel and processing of invoices; working in tandem with the Chief Curator’s Administrative Assistant on scheduling and priorities.

Job requirements: B.A. in art history (M.A. a plus); 3 years museum/gallery experience; working knowledge of 20th- and 21st-century art history; clerical and organizational skills, including experience with TMS, Microsoft Office, Excel, Raiser’s Edge and PowerPoint; excellent writing, research, and communication skills, with attention to detail; facility in representing the Whitney at Museum-related events; ability to handle several projects simultaneously, work well as a team, and meet deadlines.

About the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.